"The Northland Bank's purpose…"
"Northland Bank Employee Handbook, Article One…"
"Northland Bank Employee Handbook, Article Two…"
…In a cage formed by the thorns of Refusal, Childe was muttering something, his eyes unfocused. As he whispered, the fine pen in his hand danced continuously.
Next to Childe, inkless pen shafts and crumpled papers rolled into balls were strewn haphazardly on the ground, making the already cramped space even more crowded.
How many days had passed? Childe didn't know; he only knew that he had been accompanied by books and ink all this time.
For Childe, who was naturally combative and couldn't sit still for a moment, this was undoubtedly the most terrifying punishment.
To make him look lifeless, on the verge of death, mere combat couldn't achieve this.
Besides the thorns filling his vision, Childe had spent these days listening to Yu Jin's "teachings."
He had wanted to complain more than once: was he the Harbinger or was Yu Jin the Harbinger? How did Yu Jin know more about the Northland Bank than he did?
But thinking about these things was useless now; the most important thing was to complete the current task: silently transcribe the Northland Bank Employee Handbook.
This was another sad story. Childe originally thought that once he finished writing the last article of the Employee Handbook, everything would be fine. He didn't expect Yu Jin to demand that he transcribe the entire thing from memory.
Helpless, he could only silently "greet" Yu Jin in his heart while obediently transcribing.
"Hoo—" As the last stroke fell, Childe let out a long sigh of relief. Transcribing these rules had almost killed him; he definitely had to report this when he got back.
What the hell was the point of making the Employee Handbook so long? To show off how cultured Regrator was?
Just as Childe was furiously complaining about the Northland Bank's absurdly long Employee Handbook, the thorns that had trapped him silently receded into the earth at some unknown moment.
The long-lost sunlight once again shone on Childe's face, and the feeling of freedom was so strong. These were all good, but they weren't what excited Childe the most.
He looked up, scanned his surroundings, and didn't see Yu Jin's figure. Immediately, an indescribable excitement swept over him, coursing through Childe's entire body.
Touching his cheek, Childe felt a dampness. This was certainly not tears—Childe was not that fragile.
It was the wound on his head that had burst open due to excitement. Those wounds should have been close to healing, but Childe was too excited now, and with his blood surging, the wounds reopened.
"Damn it! Was that guy doing it on purpose?" Feeling the blood dripping from his jaw, Childe tore off his sleeve, bandaged himself, and said with a mix of surprise and uncertainty.
He turned his head and looked at the holes beneath his feet, which were where the thorns of Refusal had emerged.
Then Childe suddenly shivered and ran away without looking back.
This was definitely not because he was afraid of Yu Jin; it was just that he wasn't in good condition right now and needed to go back and rest.
Yes, that's right!
Childe nodded secretly, and then he ran even faster… Feiyun Slope during the day was bustling with people, and astonished exclamations of tourists could be heard everywhere.
"Swoosh!"
A grayish-white shadow darted through the crowd, its speed astonishing.
"Hmm? Did I just see a bald man run by?" The tourist scratched his head. He had practiced a few moves when he was young, and his eyesight was better than average.
"You must have seen wrong. I've never seen anyone bald in Liyue. Have you been listening to too many storytellers lately?" Another person, hearing this, looked around but didn't see the "bald man" his companion mentioned.
"Maybe." The tourist nodded, then continued to stroll. The sights of Feiyun Slope were much more interesting than a bald man.
In the distance, the "bald man" the tourist had seen was panting as he climbed the pavilion and arrived at the entrance of the Northland Bank.
Vlad, who was on duty, originally intended to silently watch the newcomer enter the Northland Bank, as he always did.
But after he clearly saw the newcomer's appearance, Vlad could no longer remain silent, "Ch…Childe, sir?!"
Vlad's voice trembled slightly from shock, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He even took off his mask and rubbed his eyes.
The reason was none other than Childe's somewhat overly "peculiar" attire.
At this moment, Childe's grayish-white suit was missing a sleeve, and his head was tightly wrapped in Fabric.
Crimson blood seeped through, adding a touch of vivid red to the gray-white. He looked as if someone had hit him on the head with a brick.
But who could hit Childe on the head?
"You…" Childe looked at the astonished Vlad, and a line of text suddenly appeared in his mind.
"What is the third sub-rule of Article Six of the Northland Bank Employee Handbook?"
"???"
"Bank guards should greet every client with proper etiquette while ensuring the bank's security."
Childe spoke it out to himself, which made the shock on Vlad's face even greater. A Harbinger truly was a Harbinger! He easily accomplished what they couldn't!
So, someone actually remembered that Employee Handbook after all.
"Childe, sir, rest assured! I will definitely correct myself from now on!" Besides being shocked, Vlad couldn't help but feel admiration.
A Harbinger was already at the pinnacle of the Fatui; he never expected Childe to be so diligent. What reason did he have to be lazy!
For a moment, Vlad even completely cast aside the long-lingering homesickness in his heart.
"Slap!" Childe suddenly slapped himself. What was wrong with him just now? Could it be that he had been assimilated by that guy Yu Jin?
"Childe, sir…"
"Never mind! I'm very happy that you have such awareness!" Childe interrupted Vlad, encouraged him, and then hurried into the Northland Bank.
He just wanted to go back to his room and thoroughly check if there was anything wrong with him.
Entering the Northland Bank's front hall, everything was still as resplendent and noble as before.
But in Childe's current view, this luxurious scene revealed many flaws.
Countless words kept popping up in Childe's mind, directly crowding out his other thoughts, leaving them nowhere to settle.
And so, Childe, with his bandaged head, transformed into a ruthless inspection machine.
"Yekaterina! How are you doing as a receptionist! Where's your smile? Go back and memorize the fourth sub-rule of Article Three of the Employee Handbook!"
"Ann! Your eyes are almost closed! What does Article One of the Employee Handbook say? And you call yourself a manager!"
"Also, who designed this front hall? It's so solemn! Does no one know the Northland Bank's purpose?"
…In the quiet front hall, Childe's continuous shouts echoed. The Northland Bank employees, watching Childe look left and point right, realized for the first time that the usually unsmiling Childe, sir, had such a talkative side.
But wasn't Childe talking a bit too much? He even commented on the bank employees' demeanor.
What was even more outrageous was that for every sentence he spoke, Childe would provide the basis for his nitpicking at the end.
Was this some kind of convincing people with reason?
Childe rattled off more than a dozen non-compliant situations within the Northland Bank before finally stopping.
The words that had been echoing in his mind were finally all vented out by Childe. Correspondingly, his sanity returned to its high ground.
Childe silently looked at the astonished Fatui, and then at this Northland Bank outpost where he had stayed for a long time.
He knew that he would have to move out from now on.
"Bang!"
The Northland Bank's door was roughly opened by Childe. Now he was going to find his new home.
Otherwise, Childe was afraid that his companions at the Northland Bank would be lectured to death by him.
"Farewell, everyone!" Childe raised his sleeveless arm and waved, revealing a brilliant smile. Perhaps because he was too excited, the Fabric wrapped around his head became even redder.
After speaking, Childe disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Ann, Manager, do we have an outstanding employee award at the Northland Bank?"
"Yes."
"I think everyone should vote for Childe, sir."
"Agreed."
Lady: "…"
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